Going After God!

A conversation with Pastor Dan McClure

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The Internet is loaded with all kinds of content that talks about superhuman strength. Some of it fuels your imagination with fantasy, illusion and special effects – that superhero kind of stuff. A little more ground in reality, within the scope of human performance, there are endless examples to inspire you with amazing displays of strength and athleticism. Through sports, acts of heroism and extreme made-for-tv stunts people do the unimaginable as they figure out some of the finer points of physics, do incredibly demanding training and then go for it with a fear-no-danger daring spirit.

BUT – there’s another kind of superhuman strength. It’s the kind you’ll likely need at some point in your life but also wish you didn’t have to utilize. It’s the kind that you, all by yourself, can’t really cultivate because the source of it, God, is beyond human definition and understanding. You can’t build it physically, learn it intellectually, wear it altruistically, or use it recklessly. None of us can own it. But all of us can receive it by grace.

I spoke with Pastor Dan McClure in a season of his life where he and his family are living with superhuman strength. They are all managing through his metastatic cancer. It’s certainly not the only devastating news that would make your heart skip a beat, your hope to be challenged, or legitimately give you a reason to be fearful, anxious and even filled with hate. Bad stuff is happening all the time to a lot of people. (At the time this article was written an extremely rare and unexpected winter tornado ripped through a large swath of the midwest killing several people.)

Despite our best efforts and yes, even our righteous living for God, disappointment, frustration, devastation and death happen. The question is this: will you be found wanting – driven by forces away from God or will you be found faithful going after God?

The first half of my conversation with Dan offers insight into his life and helps us consider how we both manage and mismanage our days and ways. The second half offers insights that I believe can help all of us deconstruct confidence and our can-do attitudes and humbly build on the only thing that transcends our present reality – the divine superhuman strength of God.

DAN’S STORY – GOING AFTER GOD!

I was born and raised in Redwood City, California and live now in Sunnyvale in Silicon Valley. I had an amazing childhood – great parents, 2 brothers and 2 sisters. Even though I went to church on a regular basis I didn’t really have a relationship with God. I had a decent childhood and fell in love with health and fitness in high school. I picked up a Muscle & Fitness Magazine, saw those buff body builders and since I was a tall skinny kid I said, “I wonder if I could look like that someday!”

When I went to college at San Jose State I walked through the psychology and engineering departments and thought, “I don’t think this is for me.” Then I walked into the physical education department and I saw all these people laughing and having a blast and I said, “I’m going to major in Physical Education.” So I did that with a minor in Nutrition for Sports Performance. I loved the (Kinesiology) degree and worked hard though I was partying too much. I got my first job at a YMCA.

I hadn’t even graduated yet and they asked, “Can you start today?” It was with a group of older adults in a cardiac rehabilitation program. They wanted me to lead exercise classes for them. So, I was thrown right into the fire. So I did some light dumbbell work with them and within about 10 minutes one of the participants drops to the floor and passes out. The nurses raised his feet and he (regained consciousness). I was like, “Wow this is amazing” and I continued to lead that class for another 10 years. It inspired me to get my Masters in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Gerontology. Even though I didn’t yet have a personal relationship with God I can say that He was absolutely guiding me and he was using physical fitness and my career as a way to draw me closer to Him.

Eventually, I got into the management side of fitness and started working with Bay Clubs – kind of like the 5-star resort of health clubs. It serves the wealthy. I was blessed to get the job but in my mind I wanted to be super-filthy rich. I wanted my name on the outside of a health club. I wanted to be known.

Even though I was having success on the outside on the inside I was completely broken. I was drinking too much, I was addicted to pornography — I was a broken vessel AND I was going through a divorce. An employee there saw me struggling and invited me to church. I walked (into the church) and felt God greet me in a way I had never experienced. I was getting wrecked for the first time by God. A few months later I was laying in bed weeping because I realized my world had crumbled and I heard God say, “Come to me.” At 31 I was crying out to God thanking Him and realizing He was thanking me for obeying His call to come to Him. From that moment I decided I was going to show up every time He called me.

So (I became) a pastor at a 125 year old church. That’s what God did for me. I did that for 5 and a half years and recently resigned. It was a blessed experience.

I know a lot of people in the fitness industry that go into ministry (and vise versa). You can do both simultaneously. I think the most important thing is that you are listening to God’s prompting. If you are feeling the prompting you have to obey what God is calling you to do. You will be blessed by the opportunity.

My book, Hidden Treasures, is about my journey with terminal cancer. In 2017 I was given 3 to 6 months to live. I went on another fitness kick of exercising and eating healthy and I saw my condition start to improve. But since then it hasn’t proven to work completely. The cancer is still spreading.

I thought, “You know what, if I’m going out, if this is it for me I want to write about it. I want to tell people the truth about this journey both the good and the bad, the highs and the lows. I want to be honest with people. Tell them about my experience and the impact it has upon me and my wife. I’ve discovered 10 treasures over my journey (with cancer). It impacts the whole family so dramatically. My kids have learned to be grateful for the moment – that we’re given today. Go after the things God says go after.

This is not anything I can do under my own strength. It is only by the grace and mercy of God that we have strength. It’s what He provides for us. We think we can power through our challenges. But, when we can let go then (things like) cancer don’t become that big of a burden because Christ strengthens (us).

I pray for a miracle. This is just a moment in time and we use this time the best we can. You have to take risks and be OK with making mistakes. Superhuman strength is defined as “your growing faith” so that the faith of others can increase.

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